I´m having back problems and can´t find a comfortable position to play my classical guitar without feeling pain after a while, so I want to take it to a luthier to put strap buttons on it, which I have in other guitar and turned out to be very comfortable.

Is it safe/difficult to put them on? This is an Esteve GR07 classical guitar.

Should it have only one strap button on the bottom oor should also have one on the neck/body joint (which makes me feel more nervous about the guitar's safety... ) ?

You can buy a classical guitar sling that goes underneath the body and a little hook slots in the sound hole. I used these extensively for 'standing' gigs playing in classical/latin duos. No holes or buttons needed.

I sometimes play a small bodied steel string in a folk music group, which is almost the same size as a classical. I play standing (or even walking). There is only one button at the end of the guitar, the other end of the strap is tied up to the headstock with a string. That works for "Cowboy-chords" pretty well, but when changing positions several times, things are getting tough, because the strap tends to move. IMO not a good solution.
I'd recommend two strap buttons: one at the end and one like on the picture. This is stable, easy to mount, doesn't affect the guitar's stability and very comfortable. Some people might not know, that you have to twist the strap to play comfortably: end button mounted from the "inside", neck button from the "outside".

strap button.jpg

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

If it will help with your back and overall comfort, do it! It should be completely safe for your Esteve without compromising structural integrity at all. I've installed strap buttons on several classicals without any issue. If you have a drill and might be willing to do it yourself, I'd definitely go in this direction as its a very easy/quick job, will save you money, and you don't need to leave your guitar in someone elses hands. Let me know if you'd like some instruction on how to do it.

As for button placement... I definitely recommend putting a button on the bottom of the lower bout and at the side of the heel as shown here: https://www.cordobaguitars.com/live-pla ... tar-strap/ - since this is a MUCH more comfortable way to use the guitar with a strap rather than tying at the head stock or using a sling. Doing it this way allows you to practically have the guitar in standard classical position while standing.

The only drawback of strap buttons however is it is not exactly traditional in the classical guitar community, so it could be more difficult to sell the guitar in the future, but not impossible. If you plan to sell your guitar anytime soon, then I'd hold off.

On another note, have you ever tried using the guitar with a guitar support rather than a foot stool? This can also be a comfortable solution.

Last edited by souldier on Mon Jan 14, 2019 4:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

"Success grants its rewards to a few, but is the dream of the multitudes.
Excellence is available to all, but is accepted only by a few." - Christopher Parkening

I'd recommend two strap buttons: one at the end and one like on the picture. This is stable, easy to mount, doesn't affect the guitar's stability and very comfortable. Some people might not know, that you have to twist the strap to play comfortably: end button mounted from the "inside", neck button from the "outside".

strap button.jpg

Personally I prefer to put the strap button on the side of the heel rather than on the back since it allows the strap to orient itself more naturally and seems more stable and less likely to come off. Another thing is that when the strap button is on the back of the heel rather than the side, it digs into the guitar case.

"Success grants its rewards to a few, but is the dream of the multitudes.
Excellence is available to all, but is accepted only by a few." - Christopher Parkening